Hyperproliferative diseases of the spinal cord including spine and spinal cord tumors encompass a diverse group of pathologic diagnoses that differ markedly based on the location and age of the patients. Spine and spinal cord can be affected by primary and metastatic tumors, making the differential diagnosis and treatment options extensive. Spinal tumors are often characterized based on their primary location: extradural, intradural-extramedullary, and intramedullary tumors. For instance, spinal cord epidural metastasis (“SEM”) is a common complication of systemic cancer with an increasing incidence. Prostate, breast, and lung cancer are the most common offenders.
Metastases usually arise in the posterior aspect of vertebral body with later invasion of epidural space. Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (“MESCC”) and the incidence of spinal metastases are becoming a more common clinically encountered entity as advancing systemic antineoplastic treatment modalities improve survival in cancer patients.
Historically, surgery for spinal metastases has included simple decompressive laminectomy with concomitant spinal stabilization. Results obtained in retrospective case series, however, have shown that this treatment provides little benefit to the patient. With the advent of better patient-related selection practices, in conjunction with new surgical techniques and improved postoperative care, the ability of surgical therapy to play an important and beneficial role in the multidisciplinary care of cancer patients with spinal disease has improved significantly. A continuing and unmet need exists for suitable medical devices that may be used to patch opened spinal cord parenchyma left behind after tumor removal, and more generally, for medical devices useful in the surgical treatment of hyperproliferative diseases affecting the spinal cord.